Russian superheroes on the big screen and TV

“Black Lightning,” the most recent, authentic and promising cinematic appearance of a Russian superhero to date. Source: kinopoisk.ru

How did an old Soviet car turn an ordinary guy into a crime-fighter? Meet the most noteworthy Russian superheroes in comics and cinema.

“It is a common mistake to assume that the existence of superheroes is a purely American phenomenon. Superheroes are an integral part of the Russian cultural tradition,”— said director, producer and script-writer Timur Bekmambetov.

The superheroes that we see on the
big screen today are simply a continuation of each culture’s particular
mythological traditions—albeit exaggerated by cinematic means and the use of
special effects. Superman is a modern-day Hercules. Batman is a male version of
Greek mythology’s Erinyes, and we have globalization to thank for Hollywood
taking Thor, the Norse God of thunder, and transporting him to the dusty
deserts of New Mexico.

So, if we are to take Bekmambetov’s
words at face value, then it would be no surprise if we were soon to see the
legendary Sadko repackaged as a Russian Namor the Sub-Mariner, or a group of
well-built “bogatyrs”allying
to form a team of superheroes, or Baba Yaga clad in fishnet stockings flying
around in her mortar over Moscow’s skyscrapers. Let’s hope we
do.

There is a look at the most
noteworthy Russian superheroes to have appeared on the big screen and
television—both in Russian films and in those produced by international teams
attracted by the local color.

“Black
Lightning”(2009)

“Black
Lightning”is the
most recent, authentic and promising cinematic appearance of a Russian
superhero to date. The film was directed by Alexander Voitinsky and Dmitry
Kiselyov, and it was produced by the very same Timur Bekmambetov.

The story follows a student named
Dmitry (played by Grigory Dobrygin) who has a crush on a female classmate—but
she appears to be more interested in another guy, who just happens to own a
brand new Mercedes.

Boy turned in a superhero with his Volga car. Source: kinopoisk.ru

Dmitry receives a dilapidated 1966
GAZ 21 Volga for his birthday, although he had been hoping for something much
better. Later, he discovers by chance that his car is actually a military
experiment that can fly. So he becomes a superhero to defend Moscow from the
forces of evil… and to avoid the city’s legendary traffic jams.

According to Voitinsky, the message
of the film is: “A hero can be found in every one of us. And when life throws
us a challenge, it turns out that we are so full of strength and love that evil
doesn’t stand a chance.

The spectacular CGI and special
effects were provided by Bazelevs Productions, which also worked on the films “Night Watch”and “Day Watch,” as well as Bekmambetov’s
feature-length Hollywood debut, “Wanted.”

Ilioukhine is a cyborg-superhero
that has the ability to transform into various types of aircraft during battle.
The character—whose name was inspired by the Soviet-era Ilyushin aircraft
manufacturer and who is also known asComrade Turbinski—was created by writers for the Japanese manga “Kinnikuman Nisei”and its anime-series
adaptation. The series was broadcast in Japan, the United Kingdom and
the United States at the beginning of the 2000s.

Linka was a character from the U.S.
animated series “Captain Planet and
the Planeteers”(1990–1996) created by Ted Turner. The cartoon,
which has a strong environmental message, tells the story of Gaia—the spirit of
the Earth—who sends five rings with the power to control the elements to five
children around the world.

Linka was the chosen one from the
Soviet Union (though this was later changed to Russia after the collapse of the
Soviet Union on December 8, 1991) and was given the power to control the wind.
She studies bird life closely and becomes very emotional when they are affected
by pollution. She was also a master of strategy and logic. Sometimes Linka used
Russian phrases, the most common one being “Bozhe moi!”(Oh My God!), which she would say when she
was surprised. She was perhaps the first Russian superhero with her own action
figure.

Red Star

Red Star, whose real name is Leonid
Konstantinovich Kovar, first appeared under the name Starfire in the “Teen Titans”comic published
by DC Comics in the United States.

Red Star. Source: Press photo

When he was a young teenager, Leonid
and his father, who was an archeologist, were investigating a spaceship that
had crashed into the Yenisei River. The ship exploded, imbuing him with
superhuman energy, strength and speed, and the ability to create fire by
thought (known as “pyrokinesis”).

An ardent patriot and firm believer
in communism, Leonid offered his services to the Soviet Union and, in 1982, became
the first Russian superhero in the DC Universe. Predictably, he meets Valentina
Vostok—superhero name Negative Woman—a Soviet pilot who defected to the United
States.

The character appeared regularly on
the animated version of “Teen Titans”broadcast on Cartoon Network (beginning July 19, 2003), where he is
depicted as living in an abandoned nuclear power plant in Siberia in order to
control his alien radiation, the power of whose emissions depends on his
mood.

Watch a clip from Episode 57 of “Teen Titans”(original with
Spanish subtitles)

Rocket Red

Three characters have borne the name
Rocket Red in the DC Universe since 1987: the original Rocket Red (an android),
followed by Dmitri Pushkin and, finally, Gavril Ivanovich.

Rocket Red. Source: Press photo

Dmitri Pushkin was a Russian lover
of American culture who obtained permission from the Soviet Union for his wife
and two children to live with him at the Justice League’s Paris embassy. He
ends up sacrificing his own life in order to save those of his fellow Justice
League members.

In 2010, Gavril Ivanovich, yearning
for the old Soviet times, appeared to replace Pushkin. He managed to win the
respect of his teammates quickly, despite his poor English and his outdated
battle armor.

His superpowers, which always
depended on his poorly built battle suit, included super strength,
invulnerability, rocket-powered flight, the ability to project powerful energy
blasts, and “mecha-empathy”—the ability to communicate with and control computers
and machines.

Despite this impressive list of
superpowers, Gavril Ivanovich is killed in an attack. He is brought back,
however, in various episodes of the “Justice
League Unlimited” animated TV show, which was also shown on Cartoon
Network. He has his own action figure made by Mattel.

An ex-gymnast and former Soviet
agent, Molotov Cocktease is, in many ways, a parody of Bond girls. Appearing on
Cartoon Network’s “The Venture Bros.,”
she spends most of the series in a chastity belt because of a promise she made
to her father.

Colossus (whose real name is the
rather thought-provoking Piotr Nikolaievich Rasputin) is the Russian mutant
member of Marvel’s extremely popular X-Men.

Colossus was born on a collective
farm in Ust-Ordynski near Lake Baikal in Siberia. He was recruited to the
X-Men by Professor Charles Xavier after he saved his sister from dying in an
accident involving a broken tractor.

Colossus has the ability to transform
his entire body into “organic steel,” becoming the strongest member of the X-Men
when doing so. His brother, Mikhail, was a cosmonaut before he died in an
accident. In one of the comic books, it is revealed that Piotr is indeed a
descendent of Grigori Rasputin.

Canadian actor Daniel Cudmore played
Colossus in “X2” (2003) and “X-Men: The Last Stand”(2006).
He appears set to star in the upcoming “X-Men:
Days of Future Past,” due for release next year.